Medieval Sayings How we got some phrases we use today

Why do brides carry a bouquet when getting married?

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were beginning to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Did you ever hear the expression…

Families only gathered to bathe every 6-12 months. “Baths” consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of bathing first in the nice clean water, then all the sons. After they finished, came the women and finally the children – and last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."

What is meant by the expression: “It’s raining cats and dogs” ?

Houses had thatched roofs - thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, bugs, etc.) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

Why do we have canopy beds?

…because there was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

What do we mean by the expression: “Dirt poor”?

In most medieval homes, the floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying "dirt poor."

What is a “threshold”?

The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance way. Hence the saying a "thresh hold“ or “threshold.”

Do you remember the rhyme “Peas porridge hot…”?

In those old days, families cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight, and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."

What do we mean by: “Chew the fat”?

During Medieval times, very few people could obtain pork. When they could it made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man "could bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."

Food for thought…are tomatoes poisonous? They were thought to be in the Middle Ages

Families with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning and death. This happened most often with tomatoes… So for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

What do we mean by “The upper crust”?

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top or "upper crust."

Why is it called holding a “wake” when someone dies?

In those times, lead cups were often used to drink ale or whisky. The combination of lead and alcohol would sometimes knock a person out for a couple of days. They would pass out, and someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake. Hence the custom of holding a "wake."

Have you heard the phrase “Saved by the bell”?

England was small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins, and when reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside. They realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer."